I did it

From the Ground Up Heather LaVine didn’t expect she’d one day be the owner of the Lucas Confectionery and Wine Bar, one of the newest hip places in Troy. LaVine grew up in the Glens Falls area and went to college outside of Philadelphia to study history — “which I’ve used very little of,” she […]
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Hooked on Books By Cari Scribner/Women@Work The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza has everything a great bookstore should have: row upon row of books based on genre (with written recommendations), carpeting, perfect lighting and comfy chairs — the perfect atmosphere for opening a new book and discovering it’s exactly what you want to read. In […]
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Playing for Keeps By Cari Scribner/Women@Work Linda Ambrosino spends her days surrounded by baby dolls, building blocks and sand art sets, but make no mistake about it; she’s a determined, successful, dynamic business woman. Ambrosino opened her first store, G. Willikers Distinctive Toys, in 1984 in Saratoga Springs, followed by her Albany store, Toy Maker, […]
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Crystal Clear By Cari Scribner/Women@Work If there’s one word to describe Christel MacLean of Saratoga Springs, it’s vibrant. From her light-up-the-room smile, to her unfaltering optimism, to the new life she’s brought to mainstay Saratoga dining establishments such as Hattie’s and Sperry’s, MacLean is an entrepreneurial whirlwind. Along with husband Colin MacLean, Christel owns two […]
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Baked Just Right By Cari Scribner/Women@Work Kathy Donovan is a masterful juggler of tasks. She owns two baking equipment companies and a marina with her husband Brian, has two children, Laura and J.P., a yellow lab named Chloe, and carves out free time to go boating with the family on the Hudson River. From a […]
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High Fashion, High Water By Laurie Lynn Fischer/Women@Work In 1996, flooding destroyed $1.23 million worth of exquisite designer garments at Ursula of Switzerland’s Waterford corporate headquarters. The five-story brick building overlooks Lock 2, where the Hudson and Mohawk rivers converge. “All the spring dresses were made and ready to be shipped out,” recalls Zurich-born couturier […]
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